tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108509082024-03-06T21:56:45.783-06:00i really do admire her candorthe sometimes senseless ravings (and the occassional rant) of an aspiring marine ecologist who may enjoy killing things a little too muchLaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.comBlogger492125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-83863659573938290062011-04-11T17:37:00.005-05:002011-04-11T22:30:53.690-05:00Strawberry PerfectionI've been having trouble finding a good strawberry cupcake recipe that uses real strawberries instead of strawberry extract. Well, I did find one, and it's delicious, but it's more like a strawberry muffin than a cupcake. Today I decided to wing it and make my own strawberry cupcake recipe. I think it turned out pretty awesome, especially for a first try. I started out by thawing ~4 cups of frozen strawberries (it was a little less than three cups once they thawed). Then I pureed them in the blender. I reserved 4 tbsp. of the strawberry puree for the frosting and put the rest in a big mixing bowl (~1 to 1 1/4 c. of puree). Here's the recipe as I made it today, and it was delicious, but next time I might add a bit more strawberry puree to enhance the strawberry flavor (or scale down the rest of the ingredients to just make 12 cupcakes but still use 1 c. of puree). As is, this recipe made 18 cupcakes: <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Strawberry Cupcakes</span> 1 c. strawberry puree 1/4 c. melted butter 1 c. sugar 1/4 c. vegetable oil 2 eggs 1/2 c. vanilla yogurt 1 3/4 c. all purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt <br /><ul><br /><li>Preheat oven to 350F.</li><br /><li>Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl.</li><br /><li>Mix strawberry puree, sugar, butter, and oil with a whisk or a hand mixer.</li><br /><li>Add the eggs and mix well.</li><br /><li>Add the yogurt and mix well.</li><br /><li>Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.</li><br /><li>Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners and fill 1/2 - 2/3 full of batter (don't overfill).</li><br /><li>Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.</li><br /><li>Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting or strawberry frosting (see my recipe below).</li></ul><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting</span> (this makes a lot of frosting, enough to pipe a good amount of frosting onto 18 cupcakes; if frosting with a butter knife, I would halve this recipe) ~Another note on the frosting: 4 tbsp. of puree was probably too much, since the frosting was a little runny (consistency is fine if you refrigerate the cupcakes). Next time I'll try using 3 tbsp. <br /><ul><br /><li>4 tbsp. strawberry puree (see note above about using less)</li><br /><li>4 tbsp. softened salted butter</li><br /><li>2 tbsp. softened cream cheese</li><br /><li>1/2 tsp. vanilla extract </li><br /><li>3 1/2 - 4 c. powdered sugar</li></ul>Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth, then add 1 c. of powdered sugar and the vanilla. Beat in the strawberry puree, and beat in powdered sugar 1/2 c. to 1 c. at a time until it reaches the desired consistency (it will probably take about 3 1/2 to 4 c. of powdered sugar since there's so much liquid from the puree).LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-19667153026879031682011-03-12T13:56:00.003-06:002011-03-12T14:04:06.542-06:00Good Things Coming Your WayI have recently become completely obsessed with baking. Today I am doing a little experimenting. You see, I really want to be able to make amazing cupcakes from scratch. Not from a box. The problem is, there's something Not Quite Right about every recipe I've tried.<br /><br />Last weekend I pretty much perfected strawberry muffins, and today I think I've nailed chocolate cupcakes. I just need to scale up the recipe and bake a test batch, then I'll be ready to share, I think.<br /><br />Stay tuned.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-69837899957408818142011-02-18T19:06:00.003-06:002011-02-18T19:17:25.423-06:00Happy Valentine's Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMW8ahQgM7qKK8j-o_7ORJFXnR6Z-sZk65VlpijuIujUKFb7Epga2lWiByefTO41bjnLRC-ZRMjziYaaXUK7LgIAnGOtMCZwsqXdlNYe6YivSc1QxGcyX8W9JzMea-BP3FnpCwA/s1600/DSCF4272+compressed.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMW8ahQgM7qKK8j-o_7ORJFXnR6Z-sZk65VlpijuIujUKFb7Epga2lWiByefTO41bjnLRC-ZRMjziYaaXUK7LgIAnGOtMCZwsqXdlNYe6YivSc1QxGcyX8W9JzMea-BP3FnpCwA/s320/DSCF4272+compressed.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575200853947057218" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We've all been sick here in LaTina Land, so the red velvet cupcakes I wanted to make for Valentine's day had to wait. Everyone is feeling better now, so I made them today instead.<br /><br />I used <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/red-velvet-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/index.html">Paula Deen's recipe</a>, with some modifications. I halved the cupcake recipe (because the three of us don't need to eat 24 cupcakes - 12 is plenty) and added slightly less red food coloring than the recipe called for (I used about 3/4 tbsp. in a half batch - as you can see, my cupcakes were still nice and red). I also doubled the cocoa powder (1 heaping tsp. in a half batch), since I've seen a lot of red velvet cupcake recipes that call for 1 tbsp. of cocoa powder instead of the 1 tsp. in Paula Deen's version.<br /><br />The cream cheese frosting in this recipe is delicious, but as written, it is enough to frost an entire two-layer cake. I made slightly less than 1/4 of the frosting recipe:<br /><ul><li>3 oz. softened cream cheese</li><li>3 tbsp. softened salted butter</li><li>1/4 tsp. vanilla</li><li>1 scant cup sifted confectioners' sugar</li><li>a few drops red food coloring</li></ul>Max wanted pink cupcakes, so I added a little food coloring to the frosting. This recipe made plenty of frosting for 12 cupcakes.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-16112125380459319682011-01-20T09:27:00.002-06:002011-01-20T09:42:15.463-06:00AnxietyWow. It's been forever since I've posted anything at all here, and even longer since I wrote about anything serious. It isn't that I haven't had anything to blog about, more that I just haven't had the time or energy to do it. I don't exactly have the time right now, but I am full of nervous, anxious energy. So here I am. <br /><br />Tomorrow my baby turns 3, and I am sick to death. Not really sick, but full of anxiety because now, for the first time in his life, Max is full of anxiety. Don't get me wrong, he's had the typical level of separation anxiety when I first dropped him off at daycare a few times in the past, but he's always calmed down the second I left. But now he spends the majority of his days at daycare sobbing, "I want my mommy." I've talked with his teachers about it and his doctor. I've been assured that this is a phase and will pass with time. In the meantime, I might go nuts, and I can't stop worrying about my kid.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-74135143634710996592010-09-25T15:40:00.004-05:002010-09-25T16:01:08.941-05:00My Favorite Cookie Recipe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdISmOVaq4ti1hM61Qi1gXJG56HIs3e1QBxI3BzZNb56RtAlM1ymJWLu2p0eSlx-JNZPEhUnczHPLvQ-0TTY71LUQ56ySU1VUsaXK6yTDwR8hz0mLTR24v5g6fVAM2sdw36xoG-w/s1600/DSCF3668+compressed.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdISmOVaq4ti1hM61Qi1gXJG56HIs3e1QBxI3BzZNb56RtAlM1ymJWLu2p0eSlx-JNZPEhUnczHPLvQ-0TTY71LUQ56ySU1VUsaXK6yTDwR8hz0mLTR24v5g6fVAM2sdw36xoG-w/s320/DSCF3668+compressed.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520954003596274818" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />These cookies are AMAZING. Especially if you like peanut butter, which of course I do. I am sad for those who are allergic to peanuts because their tongues don't get to experience the pure joy of these cookies.<br /><br />This recipe makes ~3 dozen cookies, and in my experience they are a huge hit at bake sales (because they look so pretty and taste so amazingly yummy!).<br /><br />PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />1/2 c. butter, softened<br />1/2 c. peanut butter<br />1/2 c. granulated sugar<br />1/2 c. brown sugar<br />1 egg<br />1 1/4 c. all purpose flour (it's also good with equal portions of whole wheat and all-purpose flour)<br />1/2 t. baking soda<br />1/2 t. baking powder<br />1/4 t. salt<br />1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (if you omit the chocolate chips, this is also a kick-ass peanut butter cookie)<br /><br />Preheat oven to 375 F. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars with an electric mixer. Beat in the egg. Beat in the flour mixture a little at a time. Stir the chocolate chips in with a spoon. Use a small cookie scoop to drop the dough onto cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for 1 minute in the pan then move to a rack to finish cooling.<br /><br />I have also doubled the recipe and made giant cookies using a 1/4 c. ice cream scoop to portion the dough onto cookie sheets (use the bottom of the scoop to smoosh them down a little bit or they won't cook all the way through before the bottoms burn). If you decide to try the giant-size version, reduce the heat of your oven to 350 F and bake for about 15-17 minutes (or until the bottoms of the cookies are brown). You won't be disappointed.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-10617020318523255142010-08-19T09:24:00.002-05:002010-08-19T09:26:59.177-05:00Success!Just a quick note to tell everyone that my defense was quite successful yesterday. I feel like I talked for a REALLY long time (which I did - 50 minutes), but there was no other way to convey the results of the ridiculous number of experiments I did and tie them together in a meaningful way.<br /><br />Anyway, the defense is behind me, and I can officially be called "doctor" now. Now to figure out what to do with the rest of my career and find a *gasp* Real Job. A very frightening prospect.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-69188195486383251472010-07-20T13:50:00.001-05:002010-07-20T13:52:11.641-05:00In Case You Didn't Know...The end of my career as a graduate student is finally FINALLY really truly concretely in sight. My defense date is set. August 18 at 3 p.m. Wish me luck.<br /><br />As for all that other emotional stuff from the last post, consider it resolved. Things are ok. But my in-laws are still annoying.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-17391275397408666232010-07-06T14:34:00.002-05:002010-07-06T14:45:52.775-05:00Happy 6th of July!I'm only a couple days late...<br /><br />And I am also losing my damn mind. I want to tell you all about it, but I'm too pissed off. And generally a mess. Seriously. An unbelievable mess. That is me. My mom spent the past two weeks in the hospital, so that's part of it. The hospital was full of incompetent idiots that I want to smack. That's another part of it. But that's not even the half of it.<br /><br />I'm full of so many conflicting emotions right now that I don't really know what I'm feeling, to be honest. Suffice it to say that I have an even shorter fuse than usual and all of the little things that have annoyed me even slightly over the past year or so are bugging me again times 1,000. So I'm scared and pissed off and worried and frustrated and selfish and hateful and full of love all at the same time. It is not a nice way to feel. Right now I'm mostly pissed off. But give me 5 seconds, and something else might take over.<br /><br />I sort of want to talk about it. But mostly I don't. I don't know what I want. I can't be still. I can't concentrate on anything. I need to be distracted. I need to be grounded. I don't need offers of "help" that are really just people saying they don't want me around. No, I don't need anyone take Max off my hands for a while. He's the only thing keeping me from completely falling apart right now.<br /><br />I need some people to butt the hell out and others to step up and be there for me. I hate this. God, I am such a mess right now.<br /><br />So I've decided I don't really want to tell you what's going on. I just needed to rant a little.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-37904739732886944452010-06-02T09:24:00.003-05:002010-06-02T09:33:35.461-05:00Cookies!I discovered a neat trick over the weekend. If you add a little baking powder to your chocolate chip cookies, they don't fall flat after you take them out of the oven. Maybe you don't have that problem, but I certainly do. Then I tried a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe that used both baking soda (traditionally found in chocolate chip cookies) and baking powder. That is a great recipe, but it's not what this is about. This is about your basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. My chocolate chip cookies have been puffing up beautifully in the oven then falling flat once they cool. I don't like that. So this weekend I did some experimenting. I added 1/2 tsp. of baking powder to my basic chocolate chip cookie recipe, and they look great! It didn't change the flavor at all, just kept them from losing their puffiness after they cooled. Try it out.<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><ul><li>2 1/4 cups all purpose flour</li><li>1 tsp. baking soda</li><li>1/2 tsp. baking powder</li><li>1 tsp. salt</li><li>1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter</li><li>3/4 cup granulated sugar</li><li>3/4 cup brown sugar</li><li>2 eggs</li><li>1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract</li><li>2 cups (one 12 oz. package) chocolate chips</li></ul>Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Cream together the butter and sugars with a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, beat well. Beat in the flour mixture about 1/2 cup or so at a time. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop little balls of dough onto a cookie sheet (I use a small cookie scoop so they're all about the same size) about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes (maybe a bit longer if your oven runs cool). Cool for 1-2 minutes in the pan then move to a cooling rack.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-34622009789564876012010-05-10T17:06:00.003-05:002010-05-10T17:08:39.024-05:00New Blog...but that doesn't mean this one is toast. It just means that I created a new blog just for knitting/craft projects. It's called <a href="http://latinaiscrafty.blogspot.com">LaTina is Crafty</a>. I'll be re-posting the toys from my last entry here on there, plus a few others that I've completed since then. There isn't much there yet, but stop by and check it out! It will probably be updated more often than this blog, to be honest. Ciao!LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-2230169182709176582010-04-26T08:31:00.010-05:002010-04-26T09:12:21.567-05:00Toys, Toys, Toys! Handmade, even!I've recently delved into a whole new world of knitting - making toys. They're so fast to make! It started with my reading a blog and seeing a pattern for a carrot before Easter. It looked super easy, so I decided to give it a try. Then I saw a really cute pattern for a lamb that also looked super easy. Which meant that both a carrot and a lamb HAD to be in Max's Easter basket this year.<br /><br />The carrot pattern is from <a href="http://yarnmiracle.com/">Yarn Miracle</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLyIbZJZorR58LWF6xmDiSGxItoJwfj4yERtvyEmQvDV0moV1dkn96P1N2a_LTCde9nyi6gL5yrh2s-bCyF8Wf7PaUYXW2GCHU3wi70fI3A6-Pks46tEJ6aHT64uIonTMgMLkEQ/s1600/DSCF3258.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLyIbZJZorR58LWF6xmDiSGxItoJwfj4yERtvyEmQvDV0moV1dkn96P1N2a_LTCde9nyi6gL5yrh2s-bCyF8Wf7PaUYXW2GCHU3wi70fI3A6-Pks46tEJ6aHT64uIonTMgMLkEQ/s320/DSCF3258.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464438999578776610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The lamb pattern is <a href="http://fuzzymitten.com/">Fuzzy Mitten's</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxSqjVzwIwUxfiPaCAYaqn2DdP768i4zLEHfCOQLfhmh-mmcFgX_IQ2OVXt8kXH17cikpKbVmtY7caoUQGnz099noMfR6db_gt03CmqBG_R07xk9H2ps9UB1qBShNqIYwPn9PBw/s1600/DSCF3260.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 243px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxSqjVzwIwUxfiPaCAYaqn2DdP768i4zLEHfCOQLfhmh-mmcFgX_IQ2OVXt8kXH17cikpKbVmtY7caoUQGnz099noMfR6db_gt03CmqBG_R07xk9H2ps9UB1qBShNqIYwPn9PBw/s320/DSCF3260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464439370892188978" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After the Easter knitting rush, I had to try a frog from the same blog where I found the carrot pattern (<a href="http://yarnmiracle.com/">Yarn Miracle</a>). Actually, I bought it from her <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/yarnmiracle?ga_search_query=yarnmiracle&ga_search_type=seller_usernames">Etsy shop</a>. The pattern was trickier than the carrot and the lamb, but it was pretty quick to knit and I love love love it. He lives on Max's play kitchen.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BgxLmOUzzgagecN5PYRe1MQgBnP6hY9aFcXzUsZChE_b6VRAZChZFNC5XD6e2Wc7k94DczuZZI805MSRyIXeAgIr7H-gCXSugwZ9DUYgAYljQYZafB4hEVd0Wr2b5bVXEgOD5A/s1600/DSCF3298.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BgxLmOUzzgagecN5PYRe1MQgBnP6hY9aFcXzUsZChE_b6VRAZChZFNC5XD6e2Wc7k94DczuZZI805MSRyIXeAgIr7H-gCXSugwZ9DUYgAYljQYZafB4hEVd0Wr2b5bVXEgOD5A/s320/DSCF3298.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464439944171552226" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I made another frog in solid orange. It's going to one of Max's old daycare teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day next week. Max is sad that this frog is not going to live on his kitchen with the other one. One day I plan to make him a bigger solid green frog to go with the stripey one.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigWZQRVWUdY28hQzHKmiCExIn9BxtOv3IcUzGGbIkwgLyspd1intNwSSX3qDPRX5kfDX8Sml44z88pCNKjhNoByV_1eUMCHR5CqzzghBh6mg6e2KJ4FgzItG0SJK752h_i61ebA/s1600/DSCF3300.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigWZQRVWUdY28hQzHKmiCExIn9BxtOv3IcUzGGbIkwgLyspd1intNwSSX3qDPRX5kfDX8Sml44z88pCNKjhNoByV_1eUMCHR5CqzzghBh6mg6e2KJ4FgzItG0SJK752h_i61ebA/s320/DSCF3300.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464444148834532562" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I also made a turtle for another of Max's old teachers who loves turtles. This turtle was deceptively tricky to make. Whoever wrote <a href="http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTsheldon.html">the pattern</a> told a big fat lie when she said this was a quick knit.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLI6eOIsYyouvQnFU2G2awdU-P_TXKQvdZr3Lh3_XWEMqiideZkv7Ne8RBFEeQckjP5ujyro2nL6hruHKP7IipBNlCeAKuO9_o7AtEGOzdBHDY80SHxq4Iu7o5trZBUQzrq3W5qA/s1600/DSCF3301.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLI6eOIsYyouvQnFU2G2awdU-P_TXKQvdZr3Lh3_XWEMqiideZkv7Ne8RBFEeQckjP5ujyro2nL6hruHKP7IipBNlCeAKuO9_o7AtEGOzdBHDY80SHxq4Iu7o5trZBUQzrq3W5qA/s320/DSCF3301.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464445349882722610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />His current teachers get tiny bunnies. This was a free pattern from <a href="http://twinsknit.blogspot.com/2009/07/amigurumi-pocket-bunnies-free-pattern.html">Twins Knit</a>. I bought their <a href="http://twinsknit.blogspot.com/2008/08/tom-bear.html">Tom the Bear</a> pattern, and I plan on making him soon.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccS1vkraUlKOuyGjFBQ9RHJ7fOiU5xnDjkVmFYhkeUKrT77E-WgZAh82eCvqF4-BS_qimEYgMPtfCk7Gq00rh_DsTHDMQpnFPq2u9q_rfMosC7AFDgIVW87LuHsfBlc3ycMgROA/s1600/DSCF3302.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccS1vkraUlKOuyGjFBQ9RHJ7fOiU5xnDjkVmFYhkeUKrT77E-WgZAh82eCvqF4-BS_qimEYgMPtfCk7Gq00rh_DsTHDMQpnFPq2u9q_rfMosC7AFDgIVW87LuHsfBlc3ycMgROA/s320/DSCF3302.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464447213217614882" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Next up: a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hammerhead-shark-for-haiti">hammerhead shark</a> for my nephew's birthday in a few weeks. I just started the shark, but the pattern is very simple, and I should be able to finish it quickly.<br /><br />Now I'm afraid I must go do actual work, as I intend to defend my dissertation in June. No firm defense date yet, but I am determined to graduate this summer.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-73920537282981423182010-02-12T11:15:00.002-06:002010-02-12T11:37:17.115-06:00Snow Day!<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxVJ_ItEvpq1hY9T6yCDXtGJjtcv90CWMgBSN1zPY4mI0S3TZ-kK05CG_3I9KSqLHjbs_lL96914Tk' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-60349188205785925752010-01-28T08:48:00.002-06:002010-01-28T08:51:58.109-06:00Conversations with MaxConversation #1<br />Me: Man, my throat hurts.<br />Max: Medicine!<br /><br />Conversation #2<br />After smelling poop, I turned to Max and said: Did you poop?<br />Max: (mischievous grin; points to chair he's sitting in) Chair poop.<br />Me: Come on, let's go get changed. You pooped.<br />Max: Chair poop! No change!LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-20792518291491125682010-01-25T13:06:00.004-06:002010-01-25T13:48:58.343-06:00Struggle for IndependenceToday I had an epiphany. One that frees me from some of the guilt I feel when I get annoyed with my in-laws. I finally put my finger on the quality in them that drives me so crazy. They encourage dependence instead of independence. They do as much as they can to ensure that we rely on them in some way. Some might label that 'generosity.' But I think that this is more about control. They want to do everything for us instead of letting us figure things out for ourselves. They do things, presumably to help us out, before we even have a chance to think about it. I don't even think they realize that they're doing things backwards. Their child is an adult with a child of his own, but they still want to do everything for him. Which is a nice idea, I guess. But it goes totally against the notion that your job as a parent is to foster independence and raise a child who can take care of himself.<br /><br />In an ideal world, our parents would let us know that they're there for us if we need them. They would offer support in whatever way they thought appropriate but let us decide if we needed help. They would not step in and take over as much as possible when they don't actually live in the same town.<br /><br />I feel like I am in a constant struggle for control over my own life and my child. They're already planning a future trip to Disney World so that my father in law can have the same experience there with Max that he had with Chad when he was little. They don't stop to think that by doing things like that, they're robbing us of the chance to have those experiences.<br /><br />I don't even know where I'm going with this. Maybe nowhere. I just know that there are a zillion little things that are adding up to my wanting to avoid the hell out of my in-laws, and I don't want to feel that way. I am aware of the fact that I can be incredibly controlling, but I stand by the idea that when it comes to my kid I should be in control. Even if that means that I do things a little differently than someone else thinks I should. Even if that means that my mother in law doesn't get to buy a complete wardrobe for Max (between Christmas and his birthday, she bought him ten complete outfits, all the same size) and decide what he's going to wear for every holiday. She's already bought him two sets of Christmas pajamas for next year. I think she's annoyed that I didn't consult her before I bought his Christmas pajamas this year. And he only needs one set of Christmas pajamas. Geez. I hate wastefulness. So she knows that if she buys something I can't return easily, he'll end up wearing it. Like the Halloween costume that she brought over. In September. Did I tell you about that? I was not happy about it. I did plan on buying him one. Then she beat me to the punch. Didn't say one word about it. Just showed up with it one day.<br /><br />Talking does me no good. I get a smile and nod and "I don't want to do anything to upset you" and more of the same. When Max wakes up at night and doesn't want to go back to sleep when she babysits (because she always spends the night, you know), she always volunteers to stay up with him when we're trying to get him to go back to sleep. Stay up with him meaning stay up and play, of course. Which is so not ok. And is what happened Friday night. When we got home, Max was in the guest room with MIL. I heard him wake up at 3:15, and I heard them go in Max's room. I also heard something about wet pajamas, so I figured she'd change him and go back to bed. At 3:40 I could still hear them in Max's room, talking and playing. Very loudly. At 3:40 a.m. It does not take 25 minutes to change a diaper and wet pajamas. And it should not involve lots of loud talking and giggling. 3:30 in the morning is a time for whispers and shushing and calming and encouraging sleep. I went in and asked what they were still doing up. I was told she was changing him. I'm sure I grumbled a lot. It was the middle of the freaking night, and no attempt was being made to get the baby back to sleep. When I came in the room, Max latched onto me, and I sat in the rocking chair with him (over his many protests and shouts of OUT!) until he got sleepy again. There was lots of shh-ing and very little talking. Because guess what? When you talk and play with a toddler in the middle of the night he will never go back to sleep.<br /><br />Boy did that ever get off track. Sorry. The point: my in-laws want us to depend on them for as many things as possible. I am incredibly independent and hate to ask people for help. We're like oil and water. And I'm going crazy.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-31409143455852443912010-01-06T09:15:00.005-06:002010-01-06T09:32:07.541-06:00The ChairI successfully procured a chair for Max yesterday, and I even decorated it!<br />The finished product:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDizBLgUMZ2jREYjqmXq-tRQSjB6i7Z42zXXl4U4-DBlT2Fa4zkm2GVO0CyhQ2cdQwdDPvZ5ZyfLBNF4SN064ksLHMoAIs3Was-0gxhKi_LGs0P5jBh2OAkVJzQcMxNlvN70C8gQ/s1600-h/DSCF3028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDizBLgUMZ2jREYjqmXq-tRQSjB6i7Z42zXXl4U4-DBlT2Fa4zkm2GVO0CyhQ2cdQwdDPvZ5ZyfLBNF4SN064ksLHMoAIs3Was-0gxhKi_LGs0P5jBh2OAkVJzQcMxNlvN70C8gQ/s320/DSCF3028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423646624326688786" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIjZMXx-Jl3jPYmDGqVxiU_cn5KK26ZF7hoasVOCLPUu-xuE7wG4rwdPKCK450LVB3ocZN4kpyztZP1yCkJgFR6op2m-af7vVMnRiDu3FuhdHy5qWm4lz4W9O9p6cNHRUr1AX9g/s1600-h/DSCF3029.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIjZMXx-Jl3jPYmDGqVxiU_cn5KK26ZF7hoasVOCLPUu-xuE7wG4rwdPKCK450LVB3ocZN4kpyztZP1yCkJgFR6op2m-af7vVMnRiDu3FuhdHy5qWm4lz4W9O9p6cNHRUr1AX9g/s320/DSCF3029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423647053478182738" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8OsEyqPV2Hpoq2xfYTamzQcoHpF8Foem2gU1XWeEyIqfkr8vvOaTIxMoIm8ECaOjJ7IugVxjlcdhYxSiOpGXFmCdE8CXdqPQ2TBAEUkL3U3SqlfxsLkAi4m1W0zYkrK5Ag9fxA/s1600-h/DSCF3030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8OsEyqPV2Hpoq2xfYTamzQcoHpF8Foem2gU1XWeEyIqfkr8vvOaTIxMoIm8ECaOjJ7IugVxjlcdhYxSiOpGXFmCdE8CXdqPQ2TBAEUkL3U3SqlfxsLkAi4m1W0zYkrK5Ag9fxA/s320/DSCF3030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423648076293620434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8goVE3gKl_vk2I43e7cOgV1VMFUCi-Acf_n4lBUM4rR3qxeUavQscXneubgs1jaqU1G7SzbnhOXAYTOiv_Vcp9r5xVuCnPk8GCa0BgWTa16zWrvaevxn8LBqdObRxbfIixFakA/s1600-h/DSCF3031.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8goVE3gKl_vk2I43e7cOgV1VMFUCi-Acf_n4lBUM4rR3qxeUavQscXneubgs1jaqU1G7SzbnhOXAYTOiv_Vcp9r5xVuCnPk8GCa0BgWTa16zWrvaevxn8LBqdObRxbfIixFakA/s320/DSCF3031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423648645333333986" border="0" /></a>LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-16746906025311599392010-01-05T09:19:00.004-06:002010-01-05T10:07:23.377-06:00Color Me AnnoyedYou're probably sick of hearing me bitch and moan about my in-laws, but really it's been quite a while, so here we go again. I may have failed to mention here that we finally have a local hockey team again, which means season tickets for Chad and me (well, half a season anyway), which means leaving Max with baby sitters (i.e., grandparents) on a fairly regular basis. Most of the time my mother-in-law comes down and spends the night (even though I'd rather she go home, but she has this thing about driving in Mobile at night, so she stays, and I guess it is kind of late when we get home, but I digress). Sometimes my father-in-law comes with her (and when he does, they go home afterward). Other times my mom and sister baby sit (then they go home). When I do ask my mom to come over instead of my MIL, MIL acts like it is a personal affront to her. She seems to think that she is the only person who should ever baby sit for us. But with the way things are going, I'm on the verge of revoking her baby sitting privileges all together. Even if that means giving up the free baby sitting and having to pay someone. Seriously, she's making me crazy (nothing new there, I guess).<br /><br />The first couple of times MIL baby sat this hockey season, things were ok. For the most part, she did what I asked her to. And then some switch flipped in her mind, and she decided that she would just do whatever she wanted to, completely ignoring me. And I can pinpoint when this happened. Max goes to bed (in his bed, by himself) at 7:30. He's been waking up and refusing to go back to sleep in his bed sometime after 10:30 pretty much every night, so he sleeps with Chad and me after that. Well, a few weeks ago after we got home from a game, Max woke up, and Chad and I weren't ready for bed yet. We didn't want to bring him in our room with the lights on, fearing he'd never settle down. So we took him in the guest room and let him sleep with Chad's mom that night. And the three times she's baby sat since then, she hasn't put Max in his bed at all. She holds him until he falls asleep and lays down with him in the guest bed, completely bypassing the crib and ruining any chance that he will ever sleep in his bed all night by himself ever again. Grr. Or else Max tells her no when she tells him it's time for bed, and she lets him have his way. That's not something you can do with an almost two year old and expect bedtimes to go smoothly for his parents after that.<br /><br />When she baby sat this past weekend, I went over everything (dinner, no bath that night, all the rashy places that needed ointment, etc) with her. I also write everything down (at her request) every time she comes over. I specifically told her that she needed to put Max in his bed, even if he put up a fuss about it. He usually settles down within five minutes. I also went into great detail about what we do when he protests at bedtime, still keeping him in his bed. This was also written down. Then she went to Chad and asked him if it was ok if Max slept in the guest bed with her anyway! Grr. Chad told her no, by the way. He told her exactly what I had told her - put Max in the crib, and if he wakes up after a few hours and won't lay back down, then let him sleep with you. But guess what she did anyway. That's right! She went to bed with him instead of putting him the crib. So guess what happens the next day. Max expects us to go to bed when it's his bedtime. But - surprise! - we aren't ready to go to sleep at 7:30. So bedtime is a big ordeal, and Max stages a huge protest. Which is what always happens when MIL lets the toddler be the boss (and this before she even attempts to put him in the bed; as soon as he says no he doesn't want to go night night, she gives in). We've talked to her about this repeatedly. But she nods, says ok, and does whatever she wants regardless.<br /><br />Something else she does that makes me crazy is refusing to put anything but baby powder on Max's bottom. Even if he has diaper rash. We put Desitin on him every night because it's the best thing we've found for protecting little bottoms from a whole night's worth of pee. When we don't use Desitin, Max's bottom is red and rashy when he wakes up. When we do use it, he's fine, and there's still a layer of cream that has to be wiped off. Which is what we want, because it means that the pee isn't irritating Max's butt. I don't know why that's such a hard thing for MIL to understand. Is she squeamish about rubbing cream on a baby butt?<br /><br />Chad and I are going to an NHL game in Atlanta on Saturday (we're driving back that night), so Chad asked his mom to be here early that morning so we can leave by 10 a.m. Same deal as usual, she just needs to get here a little earlier. Then she had the bright idea to let Max stay at her not at all toddler proof house (when every time he stays somewhere other than home, Max doesn't sleep well for at least a week). Which would mean we would have to pack up all the necessary paraphernalia for an overnight stay, leave our house that much earlier, and drive all the way back over to pick him up the next day. Then deal with the consequences of a night at Grandma and Grandpa's (i.e., a week of sleepless, cranky nights). No thank you. We told her we would prefer if she would come over here, but she just wouldn't let it go. She kept telling Max to ask us to let him stay at Grandma's and just kept pushing the idea. After the 8th time she mentioned it (and after having told her no seven times) I finally just ignored her. If my mom didn't have to go home (she has three inside dogs, so someone has to let them out), I'd ask her to come stay instead.<br /><br />Then there's the matter of buying huge and unnecessary things that we don't have room for. I put a child-size wooden chair on Max's Christmas list, and MIL asked me back in October or November if we would rather have a table and chairs for Max. I told her no. We just need a chair or two for him to use at the coffee table or the little table that is already in his room so he can sit there and color and have snacks and stuff. We don't have any place to put a table. Then on Thanksgiving, she saw a Black Friday deal on a table and chair set from Walmart. She asked me if I'd seen it (yes) and if I wanted her to get it (no, we don't have room for a table, he just needs a chair). But she bought it anyway. It's still at her house. We didn't have room for it in the car when we were there on Christmas, and really we don't have any place to put it at home anyway. Plus, it's kind of flimsy and not at all what I had in mind. So Max still needs a chair to use at the coffee table. He's been dumping out his toy bin, flipping it over, and sitting on that. Or pushing his riding toy over and sitting on that. I'm going out to Toys R Us today to get him a smock (my brother got him markers for Christmas, and Max loves them, but he keeps drawing on his clothes). I'm going to look and see what they have there, and if I can't find anything, I'll probably stop at Michael's or Hobby Lobby and get one of those little unfinished wood chairs. I might even get some paint and stencils and personalize it for him.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-46037240446071246132009-12-30T11:13:00.005-06:002009-12-30T11:37:03.875-06:00Is It 2010 Yet?Mmmkay, here goes my end of the year post. It probably won't be pretty, and the month of December has probably unfairly biased by view of 2009, but I'm going with "2009 sucks" anyway.<br /><br />How did 2009 start? With an infant covered in vomit. Oh yeah. I woke up New Year's Day 2009 with a Max who had vomited in his bed and rolled around in it. It took two baths and the forbidden scented shampoo to rid his hair of the smell. Not an auspicious start to the year.<br /><br />That stomach bug was followed by illness after illness for the Max, including four ear infections, a bunch of colds, and three more stomach viruses. I also had two stomach viruses in 2009, so there went my 5 year record of no vomiting.<br /><br />2009 was also The Year of the Rat (well, mice, actually but rat sounds more vile). First, they invaded the attic, which I can live with. Then one died under the back porch, but we thought it was in the wall. So Chad cut a hole in the wall in the laundry room to try and find it. What he found instead a was a big hole leading from inside the wall to outside on the porch. He sealed the hole. A few days later, a mouse chewed through the putty that Chad used to patch the hole and got into our aluminum cans. And so began the vermin invasion into the house. Actually, I think there was only one in the house. We bought some electronic mouse traps, and caught exactly nada. So we resorted to poison. Oddly enough, that was a bad idea. Because, by sealing the hole in the wall that went outside, Chad sealed off the mice's escape route. So instead of going outside in search of water after ingesting the poison like they were supposed to, a couple died in our walls. And decomposing rodent? STINKS.<br /><br />THEN there was the mouse in the kitchen. Turns out, it was living underneath the cabinet under the sink. And one day (the day our new refrigerator was delivered) it came out in the early evening instead of invading the kitchen and dining room at night as usual. The good news about that incident is that Chad and I successfully trapped the mouse under a big plastic bowl and scooted it out into the back yard. So no more mouse in the kitchen. Yay. But now there are more mice in the attic. I vote we call an exterminator.<br /><br />And now, the new refrigerator. The week before Christmas, we had a big storm system come through, and our house was hit by lightning. It killed the refrigerator, DSL modem, wireless router (Chad fixed that, though), CD player from Max's room, wipe warmer, space heater from Max's room, emergency window air conditioner in our bedroom, and blew a bunch of light bulbs. Oh, and it took out a hella-expensive surge protector (but everything that was plugged into it was ok). We had a repairman come look at the fridge, and he said that both fans that blow the cold air into the fridge and freezer compartments were out. He did not have the replacement fans in stock, and it would have taken a week to get them in and would have cost $300. Instead, we went to Lowe's and had a new fridge delivered the next day.<br /><br />I spent the week before Christmas hating life because I felt like complete crap (sinus issues, sore throat, chest cold). Chad then caught it, and now I think I'm getting it again. Yay.<br /><br />Oh, and it doesn't end there. Krull the Warrior King poked a stick in his eye Saturday night, prompting an emergency trip to the vet. They can't tell us how much damage was done to his eye until next week, after it heals a bit. Vision loss is a possibility. So we've been keeping Krull in the house, which means we've had the baby gate that blocks the hall down since Krull likes to sleep in our bedroom, but we want him to be able to come into the living room with us if he wants to. Plus he needs to be able to let us know when he needs to go out. The baby gate being down means that Max has been making me crazy, going into all the bedrooms, office, and bathrooms. Too bad he can open doors.<br /><br />So yeah, 2009 sucked. There were some good points (nothing went wrong on Christmas, for instance). It just seems like the bad outweighed the good.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-30692947352648866202009-11-23T14:40:00.002-06:002009-11-23T15:03:15.548-06:00No, Walmart, Your Prices Are NOT UnbeatableFor some reason, Walmart's commercials are starting to annoy me, with their "we check other store's prices so you don't have to." Yes, they price match (if you have another store's ad in hand at the register, which is hella annoying to the person behind you in the checkout line). But some things just cost less at other stores, and since there is no print ad for regular prices, Walmart can't give you the lower price on those things.<br /><br />In an effort to save money, I've been splitting my grocery shopping among three stores as of late: Walmart, Target, and Winn Dixie. Let me also note that I often buy store brands (but some name brands are just better, so I don't always buy generic). And sometimes there are big differences in the price of generics between stores. Often, Walmart *does* have the best price. But definitely not always.<br /><br />Some items that I've found cheaper at Target:<br /><ul><li>Purina Healthy Morsels dog food (17 lb. bag $11.42 at Walmart, $10.99 at Target)</li><li>Del Monte sloppy joe sauce (only a penny difference, but still)</li><li>Hunt's canned spaghetti sauce ($0.84 at Target; Walmart now only carries Del Monte canned spaghetti sauce, which is $0.94)</li><li>Store brand french vanilla coffee creamer ($1.62 for 8 oz. at Walmart; $2.76 for 15 oz. at Target)</li><li>Barilla whole grain pasta ($1.23 at Walmart, regularly $1.19 at Target, I recently bought some on sale at Target for $1.03 - less than Target's Market Pantry brand)</li><li>Huggies Overnite diapers</li></ul>There are also many items that are exactly the same price at both Target and Walmart, including a lot of Aveeno baby products, and a lot of things are only 1 or 2 cents cheaper at Walmart.<br /><br />Things I usually buy at Winn Dixie:<br /><ul><li>Anything I normally buy elsewhere that goes on sale buy one get one free. I've saved a lot of money on things like snack foods by checking out the buy one get one free sales at Winn Dixie.</li><li>Chicken breasts or thighs - there is almost always some kind of sale on these, often buy one get one free; Winn Dixie also does a lot of Manager's Special coupons on their meats.</li><li>Cheese - again, it often goes on sale buy one get one free</li><li>Milk - the price of milk fluctuates a lot, but Winn Dixie's store brand gallons of milk usually cost about $0.50 less that Walmart or Target (1/2 gallons are usually cheapest at Walmart, but not always)</li><li>Produce - sometimes Walmart's produce is quite inexpensive, but it often doesn't look very fresh, so I look for sale prices on Winn Dixie's produce (exception - bell peppers; Walmart has 3 packs of multi-colored peppers for $3.50, which is much cheaper than anywhere else)</li></ul>Sometimes the convenience of one stop shopping outweighs the small savings, but I don't mind shopping around a bit. Plus, my Walmart and SuperTarget are right across the road from each other, and Winn Dixie is on my way home from Max's daycare, so it's easy for me to hit all three stores on a regular basis.<br /><br />I just wanted to put the fact that Walmart does not always have the best prices out there. Shop around, folks.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-76349833448577145232009-11-11T13:07:00.002-06:002009-11-11T13:15:19.765-06:00Today's To-Do List Progress<ul><li>Bleach toys - check</li><li>Do three loads of laundry - two down, one needs to go in the dryer</li><li>Clean bathrooms - check<br /></li><li>Refill Max's allergy/cold medicine - uh, guess I need to run to the pharmacy</li><li>Vacuum bedrooms - I'll get right on that</li><li>Bake oatmeal chocolate chip cookies - I hope I have time</li><li>Finish discussion for this stupid chapter - I might get around to it</li><li>Take a nap ('cause I only got 4 hours of sleep last night, thanks to a husband and a Max who couldn't stop coughing) - Not gonna happen :(</li><li>Eat lunch - I might have a spare second to shove some food in my mouth</li><li>Finish scarf for sister's birthday (which is Friday) - Probably won't have time, maybe after Max goes to sleep</li><li>Figure out dinner - ugh, haven't a clue</li></ul>I am SO TIRED.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-34570659813179130902009-11-03T12:05:00.002-06:002009-11-03T12:12:56.344-06:00Things I'm Doing TodaySorry to bore you with my drivel, but it's better than the nothing you've been getting, right? Been kinda busy lately, you know, living my life and all. That's why I <3 twitter. It's so easy to spout my randomness in 140 characters or less.<br /><br />Anyway, here's what's on tap today:<br /><ul><li>Baking bread</li><li>Finishing a chapter</li><li>Catching up on blog reading</li><li>Steam cleaning the living room furniture</li><li>Mopping the hell out of the living room and kitchen</li><li>Freaking out about the Vermin Invasion that may or may not actually be happening in my house (uh, last night we had an incident with a rat in the aluminum cans in the laundry room - Not Cool)</li><li>Figuring out what to make for dinner (Quiche? Sweet & sour chicken? Pasta with marinara sauce?)</li><li>Cooking whatever I decide to make</li><li>I think I'm leaning toward the quiche. With ham and spinach and Swiss cheese.</li><li>And we'll have fresh bread, so I can make Max a grilled cheese sandwich if he turns his nose up at the quiche.</li><li>Mailing off a book I sold on Amazon</li><li>Probably some other stuff, too.</li></ul>That is all.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-52580830434146377292009-10-19T09:35:00.002-05:002009-10-19T09:38:20.550-05:00Morning Conversation with MaxMax: (sits up) Hi!<br /><br />Me: Are you ready to get up?<br /><br />Max: No. (rubs eyes)<br /><br />Me: You don't want to get changed?<br /><br />Max: No.<br /><br />Me: Do you want to go back to sleep?<br /><br />Max: (still sitting up, closes eyes, giggles)<br /><br />*Chad is moving around, getting dressed, Max hears*<br /><br />Me: Do you want to get up now?<br /><br />Max: (nods) Yeah.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-23446319926600782282009-09-18T20:21:00.000-05:002009-09-18T20:21:59.214-05:00Screw Friday, Is It Saturday Yet?Things that happened today:<br /><ul><li>I found out that someone I thought was a friend threw me under the metaphorical bus. You don't get details. Just that I said something to someone in a moment of frustration and that something was repeated to a Very Important Person, who took it entirely the wrong way and some very bad things could have happened as a result. These bad things were considered by the Very Important Person. But they didn't happen. Apparently, I can take getting run over by a bus (a metaphorical one, anyway). And apparently, all this went down, like, two weeks ago, and I had no idea.<br /></li><li>Some kid bit Max at daycare, and it was handled in an... unsatisfactory way. To say the least. But I can't say the least. Now you get details. I picked Max up from daycare a little later than usual today, so one of his teachers (and most of the kids) had already gone home. The remaining teacher was changing the diapers of the remaining four kids. She changed Max, and I got his bag and took Max home. I briefly glanced in the bag to see if his daily information sheet was in there. There was a piece of paper in the bag, so I figured we were good to go. Later, almost an hour after we got home, I fished the paper out of Max's bag to see what he'd had for lunch. To my great surprise and anger, it was not his daily information sheet but an accident report. On this accident report, there was a check mark beside "Child was bitten today." Written in the description section, "While playing, he was bitten on the right arm. Ice was applied. Hugs & kisses were given." That's it. That's all the information I have. I think back. Yeah, I *did* notice a red mark on Max's wrist, but I didn't think much of it at the time. He is a very rashy child, and he currently has about 4 mosquito bites on various parts of his body (despite the liberal application of Off! insect repellent whenever he goes outside). I look at Max's wrist more closely. A perfect red bite mark. OMFG, WHY DID HIS TEACHER NOT THINK TO MAYBE MENTION THIS?!? And also, when we went to the reception desk/director's office to get Max's medicine, they couldn't have maybe said something? Who bit him? Was it Giant Baby? Because if so, that's the second time in two weeks that he's bitten another child hard enough to leave a mark. And Giant Baby has also been hitting, pushing, and sitting on kids like a maniac over the past month. What are they doing about that situation? If it wasn't Giant Baby, what happened to the biter? Time out? Did they talk to his parents? The toddler teachers talked to me when Max hit a little girl that one time (and he didn't even hurt her, and she sort of had it coming since Max was already upset, and she was all up in his grill, as they say). The toddler teachers also talked to me about the one other accident report-worthy incident Max has been involved in at daycare (he tripped over a toy and bumped his head on another toy, something that happens to him all the time at home, and for which I do not blame daycare). So why didn't the 1 1/2 year old teachers talk to me about this biting thing? Which is much worse than anything else that's happened to Max. I am completely livid over here. And I can't even rant about it to anyone who matters until Monday. I am Not Happy with the situation in this daycare class. I understand that 1.5 year olds will occasionally push or lightly slap each other in squabbles over toys. But the teachers have to be prepared to deal with that, and when one child is particularly aggressive and is repeatedly hurting other children, something needs to be done about that posthaste. I have reached the point at which they either do something about Giant Baby and his aggressiveness or I find a new daycare for Max.<br /></li><li>Also, I ruined dinner. Or the bad ground beef ruined dinner. Either way, dinner was ruined.<br /></li></ul>Ok, so that's only three things, but they sucked, and now I am officially Done With Friday. Oh, and it's after 8 p.m., and Chad is still at work. That sucks, too.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-52219157556577696452009-09-09T09:07:00.004-05:002009-09-10T11:24:18.931-05:00Daycares as Babysitting Facilities: Is This a Bad Thing?So the other day I was talking to another parent, and he was complaining that daycare centers are just big babysitting facilities and that they usually don't do enough educational activities. In his opinion, even our local Montessori school isn't school-y enough. Evidently, he doesn't think that coloring, music, and other structured activities offered in most daycare centers teach kids anything.<br /><br />My reaction: so what? My kid is 19 months old. All he really needs is a babysitter. I don't think he would benefit from formal educational instruction. Babies and toddlers learn through playing. They don't need to be stuck in a formal classroom, a la that crazy preschool in <span style="font-style: italic;">Daddy Daycare</span>. As long as Max's teachers spend a little one-on-one time with each kid, make an effort to name things for them to help them pick up new words, and mediate interactions between the kids, I'm happy. Well, and you know, as long the teachers change their diapers and feed them and stuff.<br /><br />The daycare class that Max started last month introduced him to his first real structured, classroom-y activities (each lasting 15 minutes or less). Meaning that in the mornings they have "lessons" (i.e., the teachers do a little puppet show demonstrating basic morals like sharing, etc.or they sing songs), and in the afternoon they have art (i.e., they color pictures, using one color each day). They also have reading time before lunch, where the teachers read books to the kids. Call me crazy, but I don't think my 1 1/2 year old needs more formal instruction than that.<br /><br />In the classes for older kids, they gradually add a few more structured, educational activities. For example, the 2 year olds (or maybe the 2 1/2 year olds) get to use glue! And you know, they talk about a new letter every week in addition to a color. Their art projects focus on a new letter each week. In the preschool classes (3 year olds and 4 year olds), they even go so far as to teach the kids what <span style="font-style: italic;">starts</span> with those letters and what sounds the letters make! Actually, they might try to do that in the 2 an 2 1/2 year old classes, too. I'm sure that somewhere in there they do shapes and numbers, too. I've only been on this side of the building for a month (Max's previous three rooms were on the other side of the building).<br /><br />Also, the 2 year olds start potty training. If that's not quality toddler education, I don't know what is.<br /><br />The point: people expect a lot out of kids these days. But let's not forget <span style="font-style: italic;">they're kids</span>, for crying out loud. Five years old is young enough for formal classroom schooling. So let's let toddlers be toddlers. And preschoolers be preschoolers.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-36933054961075276202009-09-02T09:38:00.004-05:002009-09-02T10:04:45.413-05:00Jerks and their Dogs, or Playground Etiquette Part 2Took The Max to the park this morning. We did our usual walking/riding in the stroller thing (me walking, Max riding in the stroller, duh). But when we got to the playground part of our usual park routine, we were thwarted. By some jerks and their dogs. Not that I have anything against people who walk their dogs in the park. People walk their dogs in this park all the time, and we see some dogs every time we go there. But most of the dogs are on leashes. And the ones that aren't usually stay on the open grassy area with their owners, chasing balls and frisbees and whatnot. Their owners don't just let them run around willy nilly, terrorizing toddlers.<br /><br />But not these dogs. These dogs (which looked like labs, one black and one yellow) were running around inside the fenced playground. There was an older couple with two children (3-4 years old, from the looks of them) who seemed to be the dogs' owners, since the woman went to catch the black dog when it left the playground. She was then followed by the man, leaving the children and the other dog completely unattended on the playground. Not cool, people.<br /><br />Anyway, so the yellow dog kept badgering another woman who was there with a toddler around Max's age and a small baby. Her toddler kept trying to climb back into their stroller when the dog came around. One time he tried to climb up his mother's leg.<br /><br />Not that the dog seemed mean or anything. It was actually very friendly. But toddlers and strange dogs are usually not a good combination. Max is totally fine around Krull, and he tolerates most large-breed dogs, as long as someone is holding him while they get to know each other. Small dogs terrify him. He doesn't want a small dog anywhere near him. Or a cat. Or any other small, furry critter.<br /><br />Max had been happily climbing on the big wooden climbing thingy for the little kids, but when the dog came near him, he immediately wanted to be picked up. And the dog continued to follow us around. So Max didn't want to get down and play anymore. Because he didn't know that dog. Why was that dog pestering him? And why weren't its people doing anything about it? I actually walked around trying to find the dog's people, but I didn't see them and assumed they were still off chasing the black dog.<br /><br />My point is, you have to be careful with small children and animals. So when you take your dog to the park, put it on a leash, and don't let it run around in an area full of kids under 3. Because while some little kids are fearless, others need time to get know new animals before they're comfortable around them. Playgrounds should be a safe space for kids to run around and play. And you know, there's a sign at the entrance forbidding dogs within the playground area. But some people are jerks.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10850908.post-77634612018579115122009-08-09T11:49:00.002-05:002009-08-09T11:59:10.186-05:00The Most Perfect Cornbread RecipeSeriously. I've tried a bunch, and mostly they were good. But not, you know, The Best Cornbread I Ever Ate. So I took a couple of ok cornbread recipes and modified them until I came up with this:<br /><br />The Most Perfect Cornbread Recipe<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><ul><li>1 cup all-purpose flour</li><li>1 cup yellow cornmeal</li><li>1/3 cup granulated sugar</li><li>1 tbsp. baking powder</li><li>3/4 tsp. salt</li><li>1 cup milk (I use skim, but pretty much any milk will work I think)</li><li>5 tbsp. melted butter (~1/3 cup)</li><li>1 egg, lightly beaten</li></ul> Preheat the oven to 400 F. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl with a whisk. Add the milk, melted butter, and beaten egg. Stir with a spoon just until moistened (there will be some lumps, and that's ok). Pour batter into a greased baking dish (I use a glass 2 quart 8x11 casserole dish), and bake for 20-25 minutes depending on the size of your pan and your oven (23 minutes is perfect for me). You could also make corn muffins with this recipe (makes 12 muffins), just bake the muffins for ~15 minutes.<br /><br />Go ahead, try it. You won't be sorry.LaTinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16666980882353354061noreply@blogger.com1